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ROUTES FOR 2019 TOUR DE YORKSHIRE ANNOUNCED

07 December 2018

Barnsley will host the women’s stage one and the men’s stage two starts at the 2019 Tour de Yorkshire on Friday 3 May. The full routes for the 2019 Tour de Yorkshire and Asda Tour de Yorkshire Women’s Race have been unveiled at Leeds Civic Hall hosted by Chief Executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, Sir Gary Verity.

This will be the second time Barnsley will host the event, as earlier this year saw a fantastic celebration and spectacular shows of town spirit as villages along the route made the riders welcome throughout the borough. The 2019 event will hold many similarities as a start town for both the men’s and women’s races, offering the chance for visitors to enjoy Barnsley for a full day of entertainment and visitor attractions. However, this year’s route will head out towards Huddersfield road before turning towards Mapplewell and leaving the borough after passing Royston.

Sir Gary Verity DL, Chief Executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said: “We’re blessed with such a diversity of landscapes here in Yorkshire to create such challenging and exciting routes and we wanted the parcours to reflect that, showcasing the county in all its glory. There’s something for everyone; the sprinters will get their chance to shine while the classics specialists and climbers will also have opportunities to make their mark.

“With the UCI Road World Championships also taking place in Yorkshire next year, we’re expecting our strongest-ever field. This will be the only chance the riders get to sample the Harrogate circuit under race conditions before it, and the only chance they get to ride up Parliament Street against the usual flow of traffic.

“I’m also proud that we’re continuing to lead the way when it comes to promoting women’s cycling. Changing the start of the women’s race from Thursday to Friday should guarantee greater exposure and the routes for the two stages are now exactly the same as the men’s. That means there’s over 1,000m more cumulative climbing than last year and we’ll be in for some enthralling racing.”

Cllr Roy Miller, Cabinet Spokesperson for Place, said: “We’re extremely proud and privileged to once again host this race in Barnsley. Last year’s event was a great celebration for everyone who came to visit our town centre and visitor attractions; with our residents showing fantastic displays and decorations along the route.

“We do a lot of work to encourage more people cycling within our borough and another huge boost of hosting this event is a great way to keep this work continuing.

“Plans are well underway to make this year’s event even bigger and better, and Mapplewell and Royston will certainly be delighted to host the race and demonstrate what the Barnsley communities are capable of.”

British champion Connor Swift, Commonwealth Games gold medallist Charlie Tanfield and Team Sky rider Chris Lawless were among the many professional riders in attendance along with a host of cycling legends such as Brian Robinson, Mandy Bishop and Denise Burton-Cole.

The fifth edition of the men’s race will take place between 2-5 May and has been upgraded to HC status by cycling’s world governing body the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) – the highest category possible for a multi-day race outside of the UCI WorldTour. It encompasses all four corners of the county and takes in 150 villages, towns and cities along the way.

The Asda Tour de Yorkshire Women’s Race meanwhile, will take place between 3-4 May meaning that for the first time ever, it will be held on a Friday and Saturday to allow more people to celebrate the race. Further new ground is also being broken by the fact both stages will be exactly the same as the men’s, meaning the 2019 edition will be the longest yet at 264km and also the hardest with over of 3,200m of cumulative climbing.

The world’s top female riders join the action in Barnsley and start in the morning with the men following in the afternoon. Both exit Barnsley in a north-easterly direction riding through Mapplewell and Royston before heading towards Pontefract for the first intermediate sprint. It’s then full steam to Bedale for an expected bunch sprint in the centre of this vibrant Yorkshire Dales town.

This news is linked to Town Spirit. We want to work better together. If everyone in Barnsley does just one thing, together we can make our borough a more welcoming place where people want to live, work and visit.

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